Ballsed up.....

[bigdave]

When I started Bleed Ink. my goal was to be at the luxury end of the market, working for clients with decent budgets on creative projects. 9 months in and I seem to have slipped into the cost cutting, anything for a fast buck end of the print world. At the luxury end of the market, work was hard to come by but paid well when it did but this cheap end of things is so much harder as nobody wants to pay you for your time so you spend all day every day grabbing what little scraps you can and getting nothing but grief.

This week I messed up on a print job which could have seen Bleed Ink moving back to real work for real budgets. The company (a lifestyle magazine) wanted my best price on a job and I mistook that for the cheapest job and so that's what they got... I feel sick about it and knowing the influence this company holds, can't honestly see how Bleed Ink will recover.

I'm starting to wonder if perhaps I should write Bleed Ink off as a steep learning curve and start again?.. Maybe just as me rather than hiding behind a Business name?

[Moominbaby]

I can offer any advice on the print side of this problem but I can say that being up all night worrying about these things gives you a really bad view of them. I know as soon as I have something stressful going on that's exactly what I do, I cant help it and its annoying. Take a step back, sleep and gather your thoughts. Talk to someone face to face and you'll probably know exactly what to do you just needed to say it out loud.
We all mess up sometimes :)

[Katedesign]

It's difficult sometimes to gauge what people are wanting/willing to pay and I sometimes ask if they have a budget. But also take a look at what they are doing/selling and how much they charge.

Build a relationship with a small number of printers of different sizes (Small format B3 /digital/ and a couple of B2 or B1 printers)- they will give you good prices if you are giving them work. I would also tell clients who only want cheap that you don't do cheap! Have high standards and that will stand you in good stead.Give excellent service - it may be what makes you stand out from the rest!

If you get a 'cheap' image it will be harder to move upwards!

[Dave L]

It's good to have goals and to be clear about where they are but it stands to reason that you'll sometimes hit the post and occasionally stick it over the stand and into the car park from two yards out (I didn't start this whole 'balls' thing but it's on).

[bigdave]

I just wonder if using my experience of the past 9 months I could be more successful over the next 9 months if I start from scratch rather than trying to improve on where I currently find myself.

[creatabledesign]

Dave, take a step back... Re-work the plans for the business, and push those plans back into place. You get stuck in a rut and it seems like it's very hard to get out, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel my friend.

Good luck, and keep your head up and you will work it all out. I agree with getting some sleep take a couple of days off (if that's possible) - go back to your original business plan and you will soon see if/what mistakes were made and where you went wrong, IF you actually went wrong.

Keep at it...

Jonathan

[squeezee]

Honestly, you guys should be able to do a re-branding job standing on your head, one balls up barely merits a mention in dispatches, I've done lots, you get used to them after a while.

[sthomas]

Hi Dave,

Sorry to hear you haven't had the best of weeks. Working for better paying clients doesn't happen overnight and could take a few years (and even then you might have to accept a few 'cheaper' design jobs).

There's no point scrapping Bleed Ink in the hope that this will give you a change of fortune. Take some time out and work out how you can put things right.

At the end of the day, Bleed Ink is just the name of your company - all of the business decisions, pricing and client interaction comes from yourself. Unless you change, then it does't matter what your company is called, the same things will keep happening.

So what if you've made a mistake with your costs? Just put it down to experience and keep moving forward. I doubt if any successful businesses haven't made a few mistakes along the way.

[bigdave]

It's been a shitty week all round really. I'm thinking a re-brand in the new year might cheer me up a bit.

[bigdave]

I should point out that this problem with this job is entirely my fault! The printer did produce an excellent product on the stock requested (as they do every time). It was me misinforming the client based on assumptions I'd made about his needs.